City to change tree ordinance, again

On Wednesday, May 30th, City Council will be voting on amendments to the tree ordinance. One set of amendments increases penalties for clearing trees without a permit. Another, rumored, amendment may cut preservation of certain native species.

Public Hearing and Vote on Tree Ordinance Amendments

DATE: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
TIME: 9:00 am (to speak, you must sign in before 9:00)
PLACE: City Council Chambers, 103 Main Plaza
AGENDA: Item #6 on the City Council Agenda for 05/30/2007
PARKING: Frost Bank Garage at Commerce and Main

Take action today!

Please call your City Council member and ask them to vote for increasing penalties for unpermitted tree removal and against reducing preservation of native trees. Also, send your comments on these amendments as written testimony. See Sending written testimony to City Council for instructions.

Staff amendments aim to stop tree clearing prior to development

Last November, Council voted to slash preservation for so-called "undesirable" trees such as Persimmon, Redbud, & Hackberry, and made numerous other changes to weaken the ordinance. One bright spot was a motion by Christopher "Chip" Haass to increase penalties for clear-cutting land before an application for development is made. This is an increasingly popular method developers use to circumvent the tree ordinance, when they aren't grandfathered out.

However, Haass's amendment was determined to violate state law and had to be rescinded. City staff redrafted the amendment to not only increase fees for clearing without a permit, but also close another popular loophole, the agricultural exemption.

An unusually large Huisache, but it is too small to be counted under rumored Perez amendments

Since removing trees for agricultural use is legal, landowners exploit this exemption to clear their land, then turn around and sell it for development. Staff's amendments would require such clearing to be mitigated if done within 5 years before the land is developed. Needless to say, developers are vigorously opposing these amendments, and the cTc is supporting them.

Councilman may be looking for more cuts in native tree preservation

Many of last November's amendments to weaken the ordinance were developed in secret by Councilmen Richard Perez and Roland Gutierrez, and only revealed during surprise motions from the dais. Now, it is rumored that Perez has additional secret amendments he will move for when the agenda turns to the tree ordinance. While we have not seen the amendments, we understand that one of them may reduce preservation of native Huisaches and Mesquites. Clearly, this amendment should be defeated, since it will remove protection for many substantial trees and allow massive tree removal on Southside development sites.